"More Than Just 'a Rookie'." Apex April 16th

Posts : 9 Join date : 2022-03-03

The train ride from Philadelphia to Hartford, Connecticut was nearly five hours. Chelsea sat alone leaned against the window, her head pressed against the glass, earbuds placed into her ears and her eyes watching the scenery which passed by rapidly. Undoubtedly she had a lot on her mind following the last APEX event, following Azumi Goto’s actions, attack and the subsequent match announcement. It was a big match, the biggest of her short career, and she couldn’t help but to sink into herself - questioning whether or not she was ready for this.

She lost her debut match against Jack Cole. It was close. It was a tough contest, but it wasn’t Chelsea’s night. Jack Cole has since gone on to become a name in APEX that is up there with Liz Karlson and EMMANUELLE. Chelsea managed to get her feet under her,though, with a victory over Jessie B. on the next event, but she knew that wasn’t enough to put her in the same conversation with Azumi Goto or anyone else in the upper echelon of this company. And to not only be in the ring with Azumi, but to have Alyssa Grace and Liz Karlson both at ringside on commentary for this - Chelsea felt that all of the eyes in the world were on her.

She felt all of those judging glares.

A slip up here - any mistakes at all - and it would be near impossible for her to recover. She was the underdog in every sense of the word, she knew that - and she knew that she would have that role for much of her career, at least for the time being. Goto is a legend, Chelsea was a rookie - it was elementary. Chelsea knew that - on paper - this match should be an easy walk in the park for Goto. It was up to Chelsea to change that perception. It was up to Chelsea to be a thorn in Azumi’s side, and to give her everything she had.

The music she listened to was interrupted by the text notification bell that chimed through her earbuds. Chelsea’s head lifted from the window as she simultaneously pulled her phone from the front pocket of her hoodie. The screen lit up, the text message preview only read ‘ROBIN BOYD’. The face recognition of the iPhone activated and the phone unlocked. Chelsea went into her text messages and opened the one sent from Robin.

“I just want to wish you luck tonight against Azumi Goto. I have the utmost faith in you, Chelsea. You’ve been ready for this kind of opportunity for some time, and I know that you’re ready for this. You’re one of most technically gifted athletes I’ve had the pleasure of training. I can’t offer you anymore advice that you haven’t heard. Just believe in yourself and your ability, and know that I believe in you as well.”

She sat here previously, running through all of the possible outcomes of the upcoming match. Understanding what was in front of her was next to impossible to overcome, but also knowing that if anyone had the talent and the motivation to overcome the challenge - she could.

But now; now a hint of a smile touched her lips after she read through Robin’s message. Robin knew what she saw in Chelsea. Robin knew that Chelsea was ready for the industry. She’s said this many times to Chelsea during the training, ‘Keep it up and one day you’ll be a star in this business’. Chelsea now had a legitimate opportunity to make that happen.

Defeating Azumi Goto would not be an easy feat, and no matter the amount of times that Robin told Chelsea she could do it - there would always be a little voice in the back of her head reminding her that Goto was a certified legend and that it was impossible. Chelsea now had to prove Robin and all of her peers back at the wrestling school right, while proving that voice inside of her head wrong.

Chelsea Creed was looking to prove to herself, to Matt Miles, to Azumi Goto and to APEX Wrestling that she will be the future of this industry. Chelsea Creed was looking to prove to herself and to everyone else that you can’t count her out - that she is more than just ‘some rookie’.

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“Let me preface this by saying; I look up to and respect you, Azumi. You’re one of the athletes that anyone of any gender can aspire to be, but obviously more so as a female coming up in this industry that’s more and more gravitating toward the once shunned idea of ‘intergender wrestling’. You’ve broken down barriers, shattered ceilings and kicked down doors for the rest of us to follow.”

“But don’t think for a second that just because I respect you, that I will allow you to talk to and treat me as you did. Success breeds arrogance, I get it, and you’ve had success in spades - hell, success that I may not ever know. But I’m not going to roll over and accept being a doormat for someone who’s having a bad day.”

“It doesn’t matter how upset you were after what happened, you had no right doing what you did - saying what you’ve said. You can look down on me because I’m a rookie, I expect that - but that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to cross the lines that you did. Upset or not, you had no right - and had I not stood up to you, who would have known what other lengths you would have gone simply because I’m a rookie, because I’m someone you feel you can push around.”

“In any other circumstances this would have been a dream match of mine for all of the reasons listed above. But stardom, fandom, respect and adoration has all but gone out of the window for this match. This may be just my third professional match, so I know I’m nowhere near your ‘league’, as they say, but what happened last week gave me all of the motivation I needed in order to take that leap to your level - to accept this match and to fight for my own self respect.”

“I don’t know who cost you your match against Alyssa. I had nothing to do with that, and you admitted that you know it wasn’t me - but yet you continued. You decided to lash out and take your hate and anger out on anyone in your path; that person being me. Just because you’re a living, breathing legend - just because you’ve held championships all around the world, doesn’t mean I’ll bend the knee to you Azumi. I said I respect you and the things you’ve done - and I stand by that, but I don’t mind jumping in the ring with you and showing you that you’re not the only one in this company with talent.”

“Sure, my start has been rocky - but after ‘first match jitters’, I feel like I have my feet underneath me. I feel that after I shrugged off the close match and loss to Jack Cole, that I can correct my course and have a successful career. Some will say this match is the equivalent to career suicide, but that is a chance I’m willing to risk. The payoff could be massive; a win over Azumi Goto. That is a sure fire way to get yourself noticed - to no longer be considered just a rookie no one cares about, to prevent any further incidents like this one from happening.”

“I won’t get ahead of myself, though. What lies ahead of me is a daunting task that not even some of the most experienced vets can get past; but I am willing to make the most of my opportunity. I’m going to put my head down and ascend this mountain that has claimed many ill-prepared challengers. I may fail, and I acknowledge that - but there’s an age-old saying, failure is success in progress. You don’t grow or sharpen your skills without challenging yourself, and this is the biggest challenge of my career.”

“I’m ready for the challenge, and I’m ready to show you that I’m more than just some rookie you can push around. I’m ready to show you that I’m a damn Natural at this, Azumi, and if you overlook me in search for your retribution - then I’ll be ready to show you the ceiling lights too.”